1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to footwear and orthotic devices, and more particularly to footwear and orthotic midsoles for footwear.
2. Description of the Related Art
Typical footwear (e.g., sandals, shoes, boots) is designed with little or no attention to providing proper support to the wearer's foot. This is particularly true for wearers who may have foot abnormalities or deformities.
Such problems can be addressed using orthotic inserts (also referred to as “orthotics”), which are devices placed in footwear to cooperate with the plantar surfaces of a wearer's feet to provide various levels of support to enhance comfort and/or compensate for foot abnormalities or deformities. Examples of orthotic inserts are found in U.S. Pat. No. 6,976,322 (the entire content of which is incorporated by reference), and inserts offered by Superfeet Worldwide, Inc. of Ferndale, Wash. USA.
The ability to remove orthotic inserts is advantageous because it allows wearers to conveniently swap inserts from one pair of shoes to another, for example. On the other hand, removable inserts can be easily misplaced or lost. In addition, orthotic inserts can become dislodged or misaligned during use, thereby diminishing their effectiveness.